The sky is never the same

The smoke is the result of burning the sugar cane trash (dry leaves left in the field after harvesting). More than 80% of Australia’s sugar crop of 32 million tonnes is now cut ‘green’ (no more burning of the entire crop due to environmental reasons), so it may be difficult for me to get a picture of a full-blown cane fire this year.

I’m actually kind of glad they don’t have real cane fires anymore (the main reason being we have a big wooden house in close proximity to the fields!) But I remember standing on the back of a truck watching these fires. The reason we had to stand on the back of a truck was because the animals (wild pigs, bandicoots, wallabies, rats and snakes) that lived in the cane fields would shoot out at great speed and you didn’t want to be in their way! I didn’t like seeing animals frightened like this (yes – I’m a complete sook when it comes to animals). Also, my brother-in-law was severely burned in a sugar-cane fire many years ago. He survived with 70% burns to his body, but his companion in the field did not.

The sky changes every second here and it’s something I never get tired of watching.

We had a friend from Europe stay recently. She was overwhelmed and said, you have SO MUCH sky! I thought this was kind of funny because I’ve never thought I had any more sky than anyone else on the earth.

Below is a closer view of one of these trash fires as they call them.

I’ve been trying to take photos of the night sky but have yet to succeed. And if you’re into UFO watching, we also see some very odd lights in the sky on occasion. I’m sure there is a logical explanation…

Wow! Your pictures are incredible, Dianne! I’m relieved to hear the fires aren’t close to your home. Your sky is big…it reminds me of the sky in Arizona, everything looks so expansive.
Maybe some critters (non-dangerous) will take refuge at your house. If so, take some pictures! I’m having withdraws! 🙂

Beautiful pics Dianne 🙂 Sky watching is one of my favourite things to do as is trying to identify the various constellations at night (hopeless at it but will keep going until I can see what I’m apparently supposed to see). Unfortunately we don’t get to see many stars here in Vancouver because there are almost always clouds overhead 😀 Your skies remind me of South Africa where everything is equally expansive It was while watching the stars one night years ago that I saw a strange object make some truly spectacular moves…you should try and catch them on video.

I absolutely love sky watching at night and that’s probably why I get to see weird things. I’ve tried to film some of the oddities, but when I play them back they’re indistinguishable from stars, headlights, city lights, etc 😦

I can tell some of the constellations, but I’m certainly no expert. But the sky is big and very clear here and tends to be overwhelming at times. It’s a shame I’ve become so used to it xxxx

Lovely skies & smoke. I didn’t understand ‘Big Sky Country’ (Montana’s moniker) until I lived in the UK for 4 years. I don’t know if it’s because everything is packed in so tightly you can’t see to long distant horizons, but the sky feels ‘low’. I came home appreciating Alberta’s big skies even more. I’m not a fan of fires – don’t mind the smoke hazes and cool skies they can produce, or campfires, but they can be so devastating to anything in their path – including the wildlife. That said, they can also be incredibly beautiful as they grow back.

Big Sky Country is a great name for Montana. I’ve never been there but I could imagine it would similar to Australia with the wide open spaces. Even when I lived in the city (in Australia) they sky didn’t seem to be as big because there are lights and tall buildings.

I don’t particularly mind fires as long as they’re controlled (I’ve been in a bush fire and that wasn’t good at all).

Well, I have seen some strange stuff in Texas’s big night skies too Dianne, when I lived there. UFO? I have no idea, but I am a believer that we can’t be the only ones in this huge universe. I love your pictures, but yeah, I’m a sucker for the wildlife too. Poor things.

Who knows what these lights are that dash around the skies at night, Jackie. I certainly don’t think we’re the only ones in the universe but the the lights could be anything – some of them seem to do things I wouldn’t consider ‘natural’, but I’m no physicist 😉

Great share, Dianne. Living in “Big Sky Country” is great ~ we have a fair amount of sky here, but we had tons of sky when we lived on the banks of the Chesapeake Bay.

I just finished a novel (Let Sleeping Gods Lie) set in the cane fields of Australia ~ it touched upon the wild animals racing away from a wild fire that got out of control. I felt bad for them. It also touched upon the fanatics who put their religious beliefs above all else. Scary!

I’m so glad you finished the book. A lot of it does reflect life here (yes – the animals running from the fire and the GUTS ministry – lol). I actually had far more information in there about the crocodile because I was working at a crocodile farm when I wrote the book, but I ended up cutting it out because those were the days when I listened to silly editors!

It was a long and horrendous time for all (especially him). He’s quite badly scarred on the legs, body and arms (face is fine) but takes everything in his stride. When he recovered and returned home he run over by a tracker (reversing) that broke both his legs but that’s a story for another day. I thought I was the most accident prone person in the world until I met him! 😉

More sky? Perhaps because you don’t have unsightly buildings blocking it. Beautiful shots, so sorry about your BIL and his companion. I can imagine how frightening it must be, when these are lit and the animals of any description trying to out run from it also. xxx

Cane fires are very dangerous indeed, Jen. I don’t know how many have been killed over the years – but the first thing I was told when I came here was “during the Season, never walk into unburned cane” (I guess its the same in a bushfire – if you can somehow make your way to an area that is already burned, you’re a lot safer).

You’re right about the buildings. I’ve lived in cities and you don’t get nearly as much sky because of the city lights and buildings.

I you ever [truly] tire of renovating, or writing you can always venture into photography or just add it to your repertoire – those images are stunning 🙂
It’s that time of year, in many parts of Australia, when burns are done safely & deliberately and the wildlife at least has time to get away unlike in bushfire season.
I haven’t seen UFO’s at TA (under the influence or otherwise) but I have seen inexplicable behaving lights over the coast early mornings when I commuted from the Central Coast to Sydney – They are out there 😉

Thank you so much for complimenting me on my photography. I’m still in the learning stages and would love to be able to mix it with the best of them! I got the camera about a year and a half ago for my birthday and didn’t use it for six months because I wasn’t sure how to. Now you can’t get it off me 😉

Back burning is a great idea – I was in a bush fire a few years back and it’s not a nice situation to be in.

“Inexplicable behaving lights” is a great way to put it 😉 You’ll see them at TA one day, I’m sure. The country is great for seeing a load of weird things in the night sky 😀

Truly beautiful pictures, Dianne! Your friend was right – you have a lot of sky, and I like that expansive feeling. It’s the same feeling I always have in Texas. I’m saying a final farewell to the house on Worsham Street next week – we close on the sale of the house that was part of my life for the last four years and I have mixed feelings. Today the old Dodge Dakota died on me on a major street in Columbia, and it’s probably going to be too much money to repair it so that’s another remnant of my Texas country living that bites the dust. Enjoy your land and your sky every day – and keep taking pictures! And keep writing!! 🙂

We have moved lock stock and barrel into Casa de Canterbury in South Carolina. So the old woman Slow and Pretty and Red and Chelsea and Spike are all under one roof again, but it’s crowded!! 🙂 Old Dodge Dakota will cost $3,900 to rebuild engine so not sure what we’ll do…not worth more than that at this point, but I hate to let it go. Silly…an attachment to a truck.

Of course there’s an explanation for the nighttime lights: aliens are attracted to cane fires 🙂

There’s a huge difference between city and not… some months after we moved, during a visit to my parents, I had to take the kids to the store. It was eight o’clock and the sun had set a couple hours before, but my older son noted how it seemed so light out. It did. It’s pitch black after sunset where we live now and it’s great (um, unless we have to go outside without a flashlight!)

I hope for your sake those odd lights have an explanation, or your next book will be one of those “When I was abducted” ones… do you keep a look out for the ISS (international space station) when it passes over head.?? I get notification of the best sightings sent direct from the NASA sight… even in the city when this bird buzzes over head at great speed it is a sight to see… being the third brightest light in the sky, it often looks like a UFO passing overhead in search of a pretty woman to abduct…
When we lived in natal I loved the cane burning, that sweet sugary smell was something I enjoyed, but like you I hated the fact so many animals and snakes met their end in these fires…

I haven’t been to the US, but I could imagine those Big Sky places are very similar here. I’ve tried to record some weird light activity, but they usually just end up looking like weird lights with no form to them (LOL) 😀

Beautiful sky, Dianne, and beautiful pictures. Number 2 is my favourite. That is wild about the fires (no pun intended). It’s probably good they don’t do that anymore. Those poor animals and your poor brother-in-law, and his poor companion. No point it burning the cane if it can be more safely harvested green.

Harvesting green is a much safer option, Janna. Some people are worried that not burning will bring back diseases that people rarely get these days (from the rats), but I guess there are risks in everything to do with farming and harvesting.

It’s very quiet at night, Roy. The only night birds that can cause a real commotion are the curlews – they scream like babies (or train whistles) and that can be very unnerving. There was one around last night and I wanted to catch it’s call on tape so I could put it here, but the State of Origin football was on and there was no way I was going to tear myself away from that! 😀

I’m not good with fire either. My son is a fireman and I constantly worry about him. I’ve lived in places (further south from here) where there have been bush fires and I’d never want to go through that again 😦

Cane fires seem crazy at the time because there is so much going on, but they’re usually very well organised and orchestrated. My brother in law and his companion were caught in a sudden wind change which was totally unpredictable. The fire lifted and curled over like a really high wave across the cane and then crashed down into the next paddock where they were standing. It was an awful and unavoidable tragedy.

I’m really glad you like the photos. It’s like looking out at a postcard! 😀

I imagine they have to be well organised because of the fact that fire is being used. It seems a different world sitting here in my house on a street in a village with nothing like that happening. I hope your brother in law is ok in his life now, though I know that’s a huge % burn.

Absolutely stunning! I am glad they don’t burn the cane like that, I feel bad for the animals and people who have to breathe it in (or get accidentally burned all over their entire body!) sheesh.
Gorgeous sky picks. love it.

Breathing it in has been a problem. With more people moving into farming areas there were more cases of asthma from the smoke. Yeah – getting burned wouldn’t be my idea of a fun time – yikes I’m terrified of fire! 😦

Look at that big ass sky! Okay, I started having horrible flashbacks to growing up with Southern California wildfires. With all of the droughts there, fires are an annual occurrence, especially if some knucklehead started one by accident—with a cigarette or illegal campfire—or on purpose to terrorize people in the valley. Being evacuated from your home is never a fun thing!

Like you, I feel terrible for the animals who were fleeing! And, such a tragic story about your brother-in-law. Good grief! : (

He has a lot of scars (none on his face thank goodness), but he is really good now. And I really do feel for those poor animals – they panic in fires (like I would!) and can even injure themselves trying to escape.

I’m so glad you like the photos. It’s such a stunning area to live in 😀

Watching the sky is something we never seem to get tired of, Char! I can sit here all afternoon and waste a heap of time just watching the sky (I have to pull myself away sometimes to do the housework!) I’m not a closed in person either and may like a city or forest, but only for about 10 minutes 😉

Yes, you sure do have massively BIG skies, Dianne. I love that first image, with all the silver linings. I’m so glad your brother survived that fire. It must be horrendous to be caught up in one. You will let us know if you see a real UFO, won’t you? 😀

Dianne, your photos and environment are so stunningly beautiful. I’m glad they don’t burn the cane like they used to, like you I don’t like to see animals or people harmed and I couldn’t imagine the thought of you and your family being near to a raging came fire. The lights in the sky sound interesting too and if they’re visiting from another world who can blame them for wanting to see your amazing country?

I’m so glad you like the pictures, it truly is a beautiful place and I’m very thankful I have the opportunity in my life to live like this. It never gets boring or old and I’ve often said that living in the country is actually ‘living’ and not just ‘existing’ 😀

Dianne what a beautiful skyline. I agree with your friend, when I lived in London for two years and then returned home I noticed this too. The sky seemed endless and I oftener wondered how could this be? Now I just enjoy it and I really loved your sky today, thank you for sharing your world.

I’ve never been to London, but I have had visitors from many parts of the world who are overwhelmed by Australia’s wide open spaces. I remember driving from Cairns to Cooktown and seeing NOTHING but desert and mountains for hours – then, on the side of the road I saw a cyclist and I wondered how many days it had taken him to cycle to this out-of-the-way place. He was Swedish and told me it was the greatest adventure of his life! 😀

That does look like “big sky” country, which is what Montana says of itself here in the States. I grew up in the midst of flat farm country, and that sky was big, too. Here in the DC suburbs, not so much. 🙂 I hope you can get some good night shots sometime. I’ve never had any luck with those, although I’ve never used a camera with the right lenses and settings. That might make a difference!

Lovely pics. We used to have the smoke in California when they’d burn the rice fields in the valley. It resulted in an eerie, red sky with dramatic, but otherworldly sunsets. I think it’s best that the burning tradition is going the way of the horseshoe. You do have a lot of sky. Ours is open on one side and then, in the forest, near to no sky at all. I went to Paris and then understood why those mind-bending Parisian Impressionists all had to leave the city to explore plein air painting–they had to go somewhere with a horizon. The sky is too small, both in the forest, and in the city.

Thanks for these. I can understand your European friend’s comment. The province i grew up in is famous for its big sky. Part of this phenomenon is due to the flat horizon, the lack of trees (in some areas), and the dry air. Where I live now has high humidity, and when I travel home now, the sky seems far brighter, and the sky is definitely bluer. When I visited Australia some years ago, I found that the sky reminded me of Alberta.

I’ve noticed that a lot of my American friends find the US and Australia to be quite similar in this respect, Allen. The flat horizon and ‘bluer than blue’ skies gives an overwhelming impression of openness 😀

Please excuse me for reading in retrospect… I’ve had a very busy week, and in catch up mode. But this is exquisite. Though the sugar cane fires bring to mind a less idyllic scene from my recent watching of True Detective. If you have or ever do see it… you’ll know what I mean. I’m glad to hear they are doing away with the practice.

I agree with your European friend Australia has BIG skies. Especially in the outback, an incredibly amazing sight. What a terrifying experience to be caught in a cane fire. I’m pleased to hear your brother survived.

Oh my! Being a NYC gal i have to say that i agree, that is so much sky! lol I’m also glad i saw these pictures. I just finished reading your ebook Let Sleeping Gods Lie and this is a much more calming picture of the cane fields being burned than the one i had in my head from the book!

I saw your review on Goodreads. Thank you so very much. I really appreciate it! 😀

The sky here is huge, but I think it’s because of the flatish (if there is such a word) horizon 😉 It seems calm in these pics, but it used to get very busy and chaotic when they burned the cane (and I’m kind of glad they don’t do that anymore).

I took more photos of the moon yesterday morning and it was different again 😉 I just love photographing the sky at different times of the day as well. I’ve only had my camera for a short time but I think I’m becoming a photography addict, lol 😉

When I lived in the city they built a ten story office building right next to my house – what’s worse is that my department moved into that office building so even on my days off ‘work’ was all I could see! 😦

Oh my! *facepalm* Thank goodness you got away from that! That would slowly drive me insane. I can relate, though. The neighborhood we’re living in now just keeps building & building. Each year it seems like it gets worse overall too. (Not just with the crowded aspect but other things too.)
I hope to someday live back in a peaceful, scenic area like where you are now.
You deserve every bit of that comfort lady! You have earned it! ♥